Train Wreck
by Nari-sama
Summary: Shikamaru's life seems perfect...he's a famous successful actor worth millions...but it's only when you rip away the glossy hollywood facade that you see a train wreck in the making AU NejiShika shounen ai
1. Chapter 1

**Alright I'm finally back of my own accord.**

**I've edited each of the chapters getting out speeling mistakes and the like...and tweaking some of the dialogue a bit.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of Naruto...never have, never will

**Train Wreck**  
_Chapter 1 Sleeping_

"You still have the dreams don't you?" asked the psychiatrist nonchalantly; staring down at the ebony haired young man lying on his couch.

"There less frequent now but they're still the same…" he answered looking up at the ceiling calmly.

The doctor sighed running his pale hands through his spiky red hair; his patient had been coming to see him for a year now on the recommendation from the doctor's older brother and the man's nightmares and delusions hadn't changed, he'd even tried hypnosis but that had only worsened it, he knew what the causes were but that didn't help in treating it and he was starting to think that medication was the only option left for the man to live a reasonably normal life.

"…I keep on getting the feeling that I'm forgetting something…something important…" the patient said softly and rubbed his eyes before sitting up on the leather couch, that he'd lying on for the past hour, and slowly stood up.

"Don't worry about it… it'll come to you eventually, there is no use obsessing over it or you'll end up in Dr. Katsuya's care again" he told him sternly, putting the folder he'd been reading back down on his desk.

& & &

Neji ran up the stairs Shikamaru had said he'd be down for breakfast ten minutes ago.

'Lazy bastard's probably gone back to sleep again, damn it!" he thought angrily slamming the door to Shikamaru's bedroom open.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING KNOCK NEJI!" Shikamaru lay screaming on the ground shirtless with his pants around his knees, he'd fallen over while getting dressed.

"God…so how many times so far?" the brunette asked massaging his temples and helped him up, pulling up his pants at the same time so he didn't fall over again.

"6…" he sighed, sitting down on his bed and brushed his black hair out of his eyes "Uh…pass me my shirt will ya?"

Neji picked up the black button up shirt up off the floor and threw it at Shikamaru "Since when did I go from agent to mother?" he complained grimacing at the state of the room near Shikamaru's wardrobe.

"About the time I gave and you your family a large amount of money" Shikamaru groaned fiddling with the buttons of his shirt with no success. Neji sat down next to him only to pull back at the smell the other man's breath.

"Damn Shikamaru you've been drinking again haven't you?" he growled going back to the task of getting his client dressed.

"Yes…I mean no…no I haven't…" Shikamaru tried to lie.

"You know you have a press conference this afternoon…" Neji reminded him 'God!...Just think about the money Neji think about the money…gah no money's worth having to baby sit him!' Neji's eye twitched as he debated with himself why he even agreed to become Shikamaru's agent.

"…Yeah…Ino's gonna be there as well…" he sighed shaking his head "Why did it have to be that troublesome bimbo"

"Wow Shikamaru you only called her a bimbo this time" Neji questioned.

"Well I'd call her something else but there's a lady present" he said smirking, only to have Neji punch him, "Ow…"

"Why can't you ever be sober once in your life?" Neji pleaded hanging his head.

"Heh…you wouldn't like me when I'm sober Neji" Shikamaru joked and even though he was joking now they both knew it was true...


	2. Little White Rabbit

**Train Wreck**  
_Chapter 2 Little White Rabbit_

With Shikamaru finally up and dressed Neji dragged him down stairs by his tie for breakfast.

"I told you I'm not hungry Neji" he whined shaking his head.

"Has your laziness sunk that low that it's too 'troublesome' to put something in your mouth and chew AND don't you dare take that out of context!" he glared at his client as he was about to interpret Neji's words to mean something dirty.

"What? I wasn't gonna say anything" Shikamaru said putting his arms up jokingly trying to defend himself from the brunette's cold glaze.

At the dinner table his chef was laying out their meal "Yo Shikamaru how can you not like my food?" he asked shocked that someone didn't share his love for quality food.

"Even you are ganging up on me Chouji che, I should fire you all" he sighed flopping himself down at the table and grabbed the T.V. remote flicking it on to see what gossip they got come up with about him today.

_'Hi welcome to the morning news I'm Haku Kirino for Channel 7 News and now for some breaking news from LA - there has been reports that one of the stars of the hit action movie Broken Katana is getting engaged'_ the cute brunette newsreader relayed to his gossip hungry audience with the T.V. flashing to photos of Shikamaru and his two friends and fellow actors Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka _"Live and first on the scene, like all our stories, is Zabuza Momochi, now Zabuza has there been any activity from the three of them?" _the picture cut to their field reporter outside the gates of Shikamaru's mansion.

_'Yeah Haku with Naruto and Kiba out of town Shikamaru is the only one left, and with a body guard like his I highly doubt he's talking to us anytime soon'_ Zabuza said frankly and the camera panned around to show Shikamaru's guard Baki come into the shot.

_'Thanks Zabuza' Haku said as the feed cut back to the studio 'And with today being the premiere of his latest film Konoha there undoubtedly will be questions about, if he is engaged, who is this lucky lady? We have this report by Mizuki'_

"Gah!!! When are they gonna leave me alone!" Shikamaru groaned chucking the remote at the screen.

"Probably never...anyway" Neji said picking the remote back up "if you don't start eating they'll start calling you anorexic as well" he flicked through the channels until he came to the business report.

"Meh!...what do they know? Troublesome little -" Shikamaru's last words were muffled as Neji shoved a spoon of rice into his open mouth.

"For once in your life can you stop being so stubborn idiot" Neji complained letting out a sigh "Temari's coming over in a few minutes so finish you're damn meal, gah! If I known you'd be this prissy in the morning I would've swapped jobs with Hinata-sama"

"Would you stop going on about how it's your damn fate to suffer because of me..." Shikamaru said wondering whether Neji was Bipolar or something 'sigh what a pain...why do I always get the agents that are mentally unstable?' he thought.

&&&

Temari rushed through the pack of paparazzi with her arms heavily laden with bags, her younger brother Kankuro just in front of her carried the heavier boxes while he barged his way through the rabid photographers and reporters ready to do anything for a story.

"MISS!!! Miss has Mr. Nara revealed who he's marrying?" one of the reporters shouted over the other questions pushing his way to the front of the pack with a cameraman recording their every move.

"No comment..." Temari stated calmly, it wasn't the rumour mill had said Shikamaru was hitched up with someone 'Sure maybe friends or a couple of dates but marriage... that's way too much commitment for Shika...' she thought glaring at the stupid press badgering the two for information.

"Sir, sir is there any information you can give us!" the girl asked shoving a microphone in Kankuro's face, he gritted his teeth wishing he could just get herd them all into a cold dark place and kill them all slowly and painfully with a his puppets.

"IS SHIKAMARU USING THIS TO QUIET HIS CRITICS WHO SAY HE'S ACTUALLY GAY?" someone screamed from the back of the surging mass of shouting reporters on the verge of crushing them.

Temari was thankful when Baki came into sight, upon seeing them the guard swiftly opened the front gates just enough for the two of them to get through and quickly locked it behind him to stop any brave paparazzi from sneaking inside the grounds.

"Thanks Baki" Kankuro whispered behind his hand closing one of his green his eyes as he smirked.

"Damn flies, they're been hanging out front since early this morning..." Baki sighed running a hand over his face.

"So what's going on?" she asked as they walked up to the heavy wooden doors of Shikamaru's mansion.

"How the hell am I meant to know? You know the Brat doesn't tell me anything Temari" Baki said swiping his I.D. card through the reader and pushed the door open "Anyway he's in the kitchen with Brat #2 last time I checked...god I need a new job".

"Awww there there Baki just think you could've been working for Naruto" Kankuro reminded him patting him on the back before running off into the dining room.

"Yeah damn kids what am I complaining about Brat #2 puts up with more crap from him than I ever would..." the middle aged man groaned shaking his head and walked back to his post.

In the dining room Neji was trying with all his mental power to telepathically explode Kankuro "Fucking get off me Kankuro!" Neji screamed getting slowly squashed by the 'I'm not Emo I just wear a lot of black' brunette man's glomp "Come I told you get the hell off me fatty!"

Kankuro jumped to feet "I am not fat! Mr. Neji 'I'm not gay I just have long hair to impress guys' Hyuuga" he sulked glaring at him, which wasn't really that affective with only one of his eyes being open at the time.

"Yeah yeah… Kankuro where's Temari I wanna get this over with quickly" Shikamaru asked getting up out of his seat...


	3. Pressure to Perform

**Train Wreck**  
_Chapter 3 Pressure to Perform_

In New York Naruto grinned from ear to ear, he hadn't seen his friend Shikamaru for a few weeks having been auditioning for movies in Europe (he'd been turned down for everyone of them) and promoting himself and now that he'd heard from his old friend Sakura who had heard from her friend Ino that Shikamaru was engaged Naruto was happy for him.

"What are you so cheerful about?" Kiba asked drinking his steaming hot tea with his small white dog Akamaru on his lap.

"Shika's getting married" the blonde burst out excitedly.

Kiba stared at him shocked "What the fuck!" he blurted out "Shika engaged? isn't he the one who proclaimed 'Fuck the bitchy women they're too troublesome I'd rather die a virgin!' while drunk but still...uh what the hell's up with this?"

"Yeah it's true, would I lie to ya Kiba? Believe it!" Naruto yelled crossing his arms.

Akamaru barked at the question making Kiba laugh "So..." he asked a smirk plastered across his lips "who's the unlucky girl?"

&&&

Back in L.A. Shikamaru sighed as soon as Temari locked the bathroom door, he'd been making a habit of it recently and didn't know what it was about the blonde punk of a stylist but she was the only one he could relax around.

"So...what's this about you getting married I hear?" she asked bluntly, crossing her arms.

"It's true" Shikamaru said dropping down into a chair "For the last few months...we've been planning it..."

"Shika! What have you gotten yourself into? When are you just going to accept that you're gay and nothing, not even marrying some hot chick is going to change that! Why do think I stop chasing you, idiot?" She argued.

"Don't get angry at me I haven't told Kankuro yet the only person who knows so far is Neji...and for the last time I'm not gay just because I'm not aroused by women...I stopped caring about love or sex long ago I don't find anybody attractive anymore" he replied tiredly scratching his head.

"Gah! Give me that" she yelled tugging on his ponytail "Anyway in the end no matter what I say you're going to do it but please think things through a little more before you go through with this ok"

"It doesn't matter I know she doesn't love me anymore I than I love her..." he whispered.

"Don't tell me...not that bitch" Temari cringed.

"Yeah" He agreed.

"So when were you planning on telling everyone?" she asked combing through his knotted ebony hair.

"Tonight at the premier I thought it would be easier to tell everyone who wants to know all at once saves a lot time and energy" Shikamaru explained staring at himself in the mirror, he looked exhausted and the dark bags under his eyes were starting to show through the thick layer make up he'd put on a few days ago to hide them and his once spiky black hair had become limp and matted no one really noticed since he kept it on a pony tail, it had been a month since he'd actually seen what he looked like; Shikamaru never really cared about his appearance that was Temari and Neji's job after all.

&&&

Stepping out of the limousine cameras flashed in every direction almost blinding the celebrities who were walking down the red carpet posing for the pushy photographers who were jockeying each other for the best position behind the barrier and strained against the security guards, decked out in black suits and sunglasses, who kept them from jumping the actors.

"How troublesome..."Shikamaru whispered to Neji as he stepped out of their vehicle in his crisp black suit, his light green tie swung in the breeze over the white shirt he was wearing "Is Naruto or Kiba coming?" he asked pleading for someone he knew to be there.

"Yeah Naruto is but Kiba's not Hinata-sama rang me last night saying their flight got delayed because of a blizzard so they're stuck in New York" Neji answered leaning closer "Sasuke's coming...".

"Shit!" Shikamaru whispered "Does Naruto know?" getting a little worried though maintained his calm expression with so many reporters around.

"No" Neji said pulling his blue bandana down self consciously.

"Hmn...Don't worry it's not the photographers you have to worry about..." Shikamaru reminded him.

"I know and it's what's inside that scares me" Neji sighed.

"Why? It's me who they're after" the actor shrugged walking into the cinema.

Inside it was only slightly less rowdy than outside the cinema as the two walked through the foyer someone blonde and colour blind got thrown back into them, it took them a minute to recognize who it was.

'God...only one person would have the balls or colour blindness to wear black with orange...' Shikamaru thought cringing at the horrid colour combination the blonde dared to wear in public.

"Yo Naruto..." he said greeting his friend.

"Hey Shika!" The hyperactive guy yelled centimetres from their faces making Shikamaru cringe "oh sorry Shika ever since Granny Tsunade put these damn things in my ears my hearings been fucking up".

Neji looked across the room observing who else had come when he noticed two men exit quietly through the side door, one a pale middle aged man with long black hair with a younger man with spiky raven hair around their age.

'Hmm so the Uchiha decided to show up even though he knew Naruto was coming...Orochimaru obviously planned this out from the start...' he thought narrowing his luminous white eyes 'This could become interesting' he spotted Naruto's agent Kakashi Hatake leaning against the wall reading, the bright orange novel that he always seemed to carry around opened to the first few pages, wearing a navy blue suit.

Neji remembered Shikamaru explaining once how he knew them all on one of the rare times when he was completely sober...

_"Back when we were all I don't know around 16 Naruto, Kiba, Sasuke, Ino, Lee, Sakura and I all went to the same acting academy, Kankuro was there as well doing a more advanced course... damn show off" he'd said mumbling something incoherently under his breathe._

_"You knew everyone even back then...?" Neji asked surprised Shikamaru was actually telling him things about his past of his own free will._

_"Yeah they were even more annoying back then" he sighed cupping his hands together so only the tips of his fingers met, Neji had seen him do that a few times before but had never worked out why he did it, it just seemed like a habit Shikamaru did when he was nervous or thinking "Sakura dropped out...she went off to become a doctor; when we were rehearsing one of the spotlights fell on Sasuke... god! You should've seen Ino and Sakura they were running around like chickens with their head cut off...damn idiots" he gasped deeply not used to saying so much all at once._

_"What happened?" Neji said trying not to show his curiosity._

_"Glass barely missed his heart crushed the whole left side of his chest you should've seen the blood..." he joked laughing sarcastically "Unfortunately it missed the pretty boys face...he in was in hospital for a eight months...after Sakura left acting she asked her agent Kakashi to work for both Naruto and Sasuke so they wouldn't get into trouble with her not watching them"_

_"Sasuke and Naruto hate each other...it couldn't possibly work out" Neji queried squinting his eyes in concentration._

_"Yeah you're right but they only make it look like they hate each other really they were best friends before Orochimaru came into the picture damn pedophile!" Shikamaru spat._

Neji had been his agent for seven months now but there were still some things about Shikamaru that were mystery to him. It annoyed him to no end...it was his job to know everything about his client's life so that he can make sure nothing damaging to their reputation and career get out and be splashed across the headlines around the world.

"Damn it! Yo Neji, Shika we should go in it's about to fucking start!" Naruto yelled running off to find a good seat.

"Neji if I ever become like him for any reason please shoot me..." Shikamaru sighed hanging his head.

"Don't worry I don't any chance of that ever happening" Kakashi said looking up from his book "Anyway I better go stop Naruto from driving everyone insane" and he waved goodbye.

"What movie is this anyway Neji...?" Shikamaru asked scratching his head.

"You idiot you don't even remember your own movie... gah! You were the lead character Shika" Neji yelled as his left eye twitched slightly and pushed Shikamaru into the theatre.


	4. There are No Feelings to This

**Train Wreck  
**Chapter 4 There Are No Feelings To This

The after party wasn't even in full swing yet and Shikamaru had already had 5 glasses of scotch and a few shots of vodka.

"Feeling normal again are we Shika?" Neji asked and slumped down into the couch next to his client.

"Actually I am Neji dearest...you should know I'm only getting started!" he replied sarcastically only to shrink back down in his seat again upon seeing someone running towards them.

"Shikamaru! COME ON IT'S TIME!" Ino yelled annoyingly, though only a few meters away from the couple, above the pulsating dance music.

Shikamaru sighed slowly pulling himself up out of his chair and started to move towards the stage but not before shooting Neji a forlorn look as if he were asking 'Do I have to?'

"Quiet everyone! Shikamaru and I have an important announcement to make people" She spoke into the microphone and most of the people that were there stopped speaking, they didn't want to face the blonde's vengeful wrath, and gave her their attention "Everyone WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!"

Most people stared at her like she was a crazy person before starting to clap and cheer for the couple. Shikamaru looked on, silently observing his future wife with a fake smile plastered across his over wise indifferent face causing it to twitch slightly from his the muscles not being used to the strain. He knew she was acting as much as he was, she was just louder 'When will she just shut up...' he thought wishing he'd brought earplugs.

As the night dragged on Shikamaru wonder why he'd even thought of this in the first place 'oh well at least she doesn't have any misconceptions that I love her well I hope not anyway...' he thought.

Neji watched silently at the back of the crowded room leaning back in the cushioned leather couch and slipped his glass of vanilla coke slowly, using his drink as reason not to start up a conversation, he hadn't been concentrating and stared at this scene disinterestedly.

"Hey Nej'" a voice said from behind him.

"Finally decided to show up then Kiba" Neji replied not turning his head.

"Hinata says hello, she wanted me to pass this on..." Kiba whispered and slipped him a piece of paper.

"Another one..." he sighed and shook his head "So has Lee or Ten Ten been in touch yet production starts in three weeks"

"Not yet but Lee said he'd be over Shika's tomorrow, if he's conscious that is!" Kiba joked swigging on his beer while Akamaru clung precariously onto the top of the actor's head "After this I know I wouldn't want to be around Spandex Boy".

"You're enjoying this a little too much Inuzuka..." Neji said giving his friend a perturbed look before going back to watching over Shikamaru.

"And you Neji should remember he's your boss..." Kiba replied smirking at him and winked at the fellow brunette making Neji want to smack the smirk right off his face only for the younger man to slip back into the crowd before Neji could hurt him.

Neji sighed checking his watch, it had just gone quarter past 1 in the morning 'Time to get going...' he thought grabbing his coat and tried to push his way as quickly as possible through the crowd of people of varying degrees of celebrity without getting sued by any of them.

"Shikamaru!" he yelled trying to find his missing client "Gah! where's he got to now damn it!" he asked himself angrily shoving his hand into his jacket pocket to retrieve his cell phone and dialled Kiba's number.

After a few seconds the actor picked up_ "Yo what's up?"_ Kiba asked.

"Do you know where Shikamaru is?" Neji asked bluntly running his hand through his long hair.

_"Yeah I saw him go round back... he didn't look so hot" _he replied _"I'll call if I see him Neji...I gotta go seeya"_

"Ok bye Kiba" Neji said before hanging up.

&&&

Shikamaru laid on the cold snow covered ground, with water seeping through his suit, looking up at the smoggy star dotted black sky, 'the sky...' he thought, he's spent along time staring up at the sky trying to figure out why it had earned so much of his attention

A long time ago when he was a child, back when his older brother had just returned home from his third year of military school for the summer holidays.

_'Come on Bro' you said you would play with me!' he had yelled at Yoshiku who was lying on the grass looking up at the puffs of clouds slowly drifting across the sunny blue sky above their ranch in Wyoming._

_'Yeah...but you little man have to do your homework first' Yoshiku said grinning at his little brother and ruffled the ten year olds black hair._

_'Awwww you're no fun!' Shikamaru complained pouting 'I haven't seen you for six months and all you want to do a watch the clouds...what do you see in them anyway?'_

_'Whatever I want lil bro...Now get lost Shika I have an old friend to catch up with' the brunette shoed his brother away and went back to staring up at the sky._

_Later that night they'd when they were having dinner their father had been badgering Yoshiku about joining the army when he finished school._

_"Come on son your 17 years old damn it when are you going to stop being so careless about your future and plan ahead for once!" he yelled thumping his fist down on the table making the glasses clink._

_"Why can't you just shut up Dad! So what if I don't want to be in the damn military it's my fucking life damn it!" Yoshiku growled staring down the older man with cold dark brown eyes._

_"Yoshiku don't you dare talk to your father like that!" his mother said sternly._

_"WHY THE FUCK SHOULD I? HE'S NEVER GIVEN A DAMN ABOUT WHAT WE WANT!!!" the teen screamed shoving things off the neatly arranged dining table onto the floor, the sound of shattering crockery and glass echoed throughout the room; Shikamaru watched in shock he'd never seen his brother act like this before and there were tears starting to well in his eyes "I just can't live like this...with you pretending like nothing ever happened..." Yoshiku said softly and ran off to his bedroom._

_That was the night everything went down hill...in the morning Shikamaru found his brother...naked, pale and cold lying face up in the shower his dead eyes staring up at the white ceiling as if in some vain attempt to see the clouds one last time...on the walls were angry words written in blood._

_He never remembered what happened after that Shikamaru had awoken two days later in the hospital with no memory of what had happened to Yoshiku until the doctor told him._


	5. Back Tracking

**Train Wreck**  
Chapter 5 Back Tracking

_He wanted to forget...he wanted to forget all of it after Yoshiku killed himself his father took to alcohol... when Shikamaru ever saw him that was...Shikato was hardily ever home and buried himself in work... when he was home he would just vent his anger and frustration beating Shikamaru and his mother._

_His Mother on the other hand a very religious Evangelical Christian to begin with became fanatical in faith, driven insane by her son's death ...she started to blame Shikamaru for Yoshiku's suicide...she blamed him for everything that went wrong in their life!_

His eyes snapped closed and he pretended to be asleep as he heard faint voices moving towards him they sounded familiar but he couldn't place them in his mind.

"...Shika what have you done to yourself this time?" one said kneeling down to help him up only for the black haired celebrity to slump back down, Shikamaru stared up at the two blurs trying to remember who they were in his alcohol clogged brain.

"You want some help there Neji?" the yellow and orange blur asked the other.

"No I'll take him, the estate's closer than Shika's place...you go home I'll you tomorrow ok?" the brunette replied running his free hand through his hair frustrated as he picked Shikamaru back to his feet and started to drag him along.

"Yeah I'll see ya tomorrow...don't stay up too long yeah!" the shorter insinuated and winked at Neji.

"NARUTO!!! Why oh why does everyone have this crazy idea that just because I have long hair and look kind of feminine that I'm fucking gay damn it! I should sue you all for defamation!" He yelled and slapped the blonde upside the head.

"Just coz you say you're not doesn't mean it's not true ay Neji!" Naruto joked slowly backing away from the murderous looking Hyuuga.

"Naruto?" Neji asked smirking.

"Yeah what?" The actor questioned warily.

"By any chance are you suicidal?" he continued on with a creepy expression.

"Ah...why would you want to know?" Naruto said a little freaked out by the agent's behaviour.

"Oh so just so I can murder you and stage it to look like you killed yourself..." he replied frankly.

"Um...ok then I'll just...be...leaving then..." Naruto yelped before walking back inside Ino's mansion.

Neji sighed shifting Shikamaru so that he had his arm over Neji's shoulder 'Gah Shika! When did you become so heavy? …It must be all the damn booze' he thought grunting with the effort of having to pull his client up the stairs to the fence. He smirked, it was for situations like this that they were trained, as he heaved Shikamaru over the mansion's side fence knowing nocturnal reporters were probably lurking outside the back entrance waiting to pounce on unsuspecting celebrities 'Uncle always said vigilance was always best' he thought 'if something looks suspicious it probably is!'.

Looking out through the overgrown trees out at the road Neji spotted the car where he'd had Baki leave it earlier in case anything like this happened, it wasn't very good for popularity if the media caught pictures of you getting dragged blind drunk by your agent into your limousine especially when you've just announced you're engaged to the whole world to shut everyone up about your private life.

'Damn Baki parked the car on the wrong side damn it!' he thought as he tried weaving through the late night traffic while hiding Shikamaru's face from the view of the oncoming cars.

Neji threw Shikamaru across into the passenger seat quickly and hopped into the driver's seat of his white Aston Martin. Just as he closed the door he noticed something hiding in the darkness quickly he shut the door before he heard what sounded like the flash on a camera 'That was too close' Neji thought sighing in relief as his foot hit the accelerator peddle 'Lucky thing the windows are tinted...'.

After driving for a short while he parked off the main road using the time finally to put his and Shikamaru's seat belt's on before he picked up the car phone and dialled the long number off the top of his head.

_"Yes..."_ someone answered tentatively.

"Hinata-sama...it's me" he said without any further explanation "Is Hiashi-sama out?"

_"Yes...um...he went on a business trip but Neji-neesan you...know you'll have to talk to...Father"_ she replied her voice wavering.

"I know but I have more important matters to deal with at the moment..." Neji stated calmly leaning back in his seat.

_"You feel... something for him don't you?...I don't...mean to...um... pry it's just...that...um... you haven't been back to the estate for six months...you didn't even do that for Lee-san"_ Hinata queried her cousin.

"It's...I...don't know!...have one of the rooms prepared for me when I get there Shikamaru-kun's gotten drunk again and stayed out in the snow...and Hinata-sama?" he said quietly "Thanks..."

_"For...um...what Neji-neesan?"_ she asked curiously.

"For the note Kiba passed on" he said matter-of-factly gripping the steering wheel with his left hand "Anyway I'll be there soon bye" Neji ended their conversation briskly.

_"Um...yeah bye Neji-neesan"_ she said before hanging up on her end.

Neji pressed his forehead against his steering wheel, he closed his eyes and sighed starting up his car again and turned back onto the road slowly.

&&&

Neji slowly drove up the large ornate metal gates and pressed on the intercom _"State you purpose...?"_ a monotone voice came through the speaker imbedded in the stone wall.

"If you are pursuant of money because of greedy intentions it is your own responsibility that you are fated to die..." Neji answered blandly.

_"Welcome home fellow Hyuuga..." _the voice responded as the gates slowly grinded open.


	6. There's Only So Much

**Train Wreck  
**Chapter 6 There's Only So Much

"Damn idiot I told him not to drink again" Tsunade said scrutinizing Shikamaru's prone form.

"Dr. Katsuya what's wrong?" Neji asked the middle aged woman.

"His liver showed early signs of psoriasis" She said taking the thermometer out of Shikamaru's mouth "Damn idiot Nara 102 degrees Sakura get the catheter and IV line we need to get fluids in him quickly!" she ordered her young pink haired assistant. Tsunade put the end of her stethoscope to Shikamaru's bare chest listening to his fast heart beat.

"He hardly ever listens to me let alone anyone else..." Neji mused leaning against the wall of the large expensively decorated room.

Sakura handed the IV and clear bag of saline to her teacher and Tsunade pushed the catheter through the skin of his arm into the artery.

"Hmn he's only listened to Kankuro and Gaara" she said wiping the sweat fro her brow.

Neji looked up confused "Gaara?" he questioned.

"You don't know...Gaara's been Shikamaru's therapist for the last two years" the doctor filled him in rattling off the information like she was talking about the weather "He was a lot worse before he saw Gaara...tried to kill himself three times".

She pointed to a short scar just above his navel "you see that scar right there, that happened four years ago when Shikamaru knifed himself in the stomach, he slit his wrists the first time" she point to pale then scars on his right forearm "the last time he locked himself in the shower for three hours and if Kankuro hadn't found him he would've been dead in a few minutes" Tsunade smiled having finished her work.

"You talk about it so matter-of-factly" He commented.

"Well Mr. Hyuuga in my line of work it's something you get used to, you patch them up best you can and recommend a good councillor that's all you can do because if they want to binge on alcohol or drugs they will and if they want to kill themselves when the press aren't examining their lives with a fine tooth comb they will... there's nothing I can do to stop them!" she retorted angrily before smiling again "Come on Sakura our job here is done..." she said to the young woman and walked out down the long corridor to the elevator.

"Don't mind Ms. Tsunade she's been doing this for 20 years now so..." Sakura trailed off.

"...These kinds off things have become the norm for her, is that what you're trying to say?" Neji asked walking over to her "You two don't really look like doctors...what's with the get up?" he observed her appearance emotionlessly; it wasn't only the short pink hair that made him question her profession… under her lab coat she wore a crimson tank top, a black mini skirt and she also had on knee high black boots.

"It helps hide the blood..." she joked "Actually Ms. Tsunade uses a cosmetic surgery business as a front for her Practice we're appear in our own commercials so we have to look the part at a moments notice" Sakura brushed her hair out of her green eyes walked to the door "Oh and Neji" she said looking back before she followed her teacher out "Tell Ino-pig to take better care of her man for me!"

"Yeah I will...Hinata will show you out..." Neji said closing the door behind her slowly; he stared over at Shikamaru and smirked "So having fun there Shika?" he sighed brushing loose strands of hair out of white eyes.

"Heh..." Shikamaru said weakly, opening his eyes "How long...have you known?" he shivered under the thin blanket.

"You flinched slightly when she put the line in...You'd think for an actor you'd have better control over your facial expressions" Neji explained and walked quickly back over towards the bed...a little too quickly..."GODDAMNIT!" He yelled as he tripped up on the carpet flinging him forward onto the bed...on top of Shikamaru.

Suddenly the door opened "Neji-neesan..." Hinata said hurriedly before taking in the scene in front of her "Eh...um" she couldn't think of anything to say, she stood there shocked.

Neji got up "Hinata-sama it's not what you think..." he tried to rationalize the situation but she had already fainted before he'd finished.

Shikamaru tried to hide his laughter at the scene "Oh SHUT UP Shika you're not helping!" Neji exclaimed picking up a stray pillow that had fallen on the floor and threw it at Shikamaru.


	7. Not Like That

**Train Wreck**  
Chapter 7 Not Like That!

"Hinata...Hinata-sama...wake up Hinata-sama" Neji said trying to wake his cousin up.

"Neji...neesan...what happened..."she asked and her pale face turned bright red at the thought "Um...I'M SO SORRY NEJI-NEESAN!" Hinata apologized quickly burying her head into hands.

Neji slapped his forehead "Why oh why does everyone think that..." he sighed putting his hands on the shorter woman's shoulders "Hinata-sama I tripped ok...I wasn't doing anything with Shikamaru-kun at least not anything of that nature" he tried to reassure her.

"But...you...on Shikamaru-san...with no shirt..."Hinata questioned quickly trying to make sense of what she thought she saw.

"Not again...goddamnit...is everyone in this town perverted!" Neji exclaimed Hinata having fainted for a second time.

Shikamaru tried to suppress his laughter at Neji's situation; he didn't particularly want to be coughing up blood. Neji lifted up his cousin and laid her down on the large bed next to Shikamaru.

"What's the time?" he asked himself and flopped down into a chair rolling up the sleeve of his white jacket to check his watch "It's nearly 2 am, I've been awake since 5 no wonder I'm tired..." he murmured "You're schedule is way too full Shikamaru...hmm you never said the twitching was back..." Neji commented noticing Shikamaru's index finger move on its own.

"I know... its just random muscle spasms...nothing to...worry...about..." Shikamaru said tiredly trying to fight back the quick onset of sleep brought on by sedatives in his IV line had begun to pump around his blood stream "Neji...music..." he mumbled his eyelids barely open.

"You and your music urgh..." Neji sighed exasperatedly and fished out his client's MP3 player from the black jacket that had been discarded on the floor and pulled the headphones over Shikamaru's ears.

&&&

Kankuro sank into the lilac couch carrying food which he'd raided from his sister's fridge and place it all on the glass coffee table in front of him.

"So..." he said through a full mouth before swallowing quickly "What do ya think going to happen?" he asked Temari who was leaning against the kitchen bench top.

"Knowing Shikamaru probably something stupid" she replied glaring at the floor.

Kankuro closed his eyes and thought 'Hmmm I wonder what's got her in a such a mood...she only uses his full name when she's pissed at him'.

"Why did you even buy your own apartment Kankuro? Anyway you practically live here" Temari questioned flicking his forehead sharply.

"Ow..." he whined childishly "Hey since when do I need an excuse to visit my sister" "Oh my god you live next door idiot your apartment is in between mine and Gaara's we see each every day" she reminded her younger brother snatching her chocolate back from him.

Kankuro pouted playing the buckles on his black pants.

"Don't pouted it makes you look even more like a pig...an emo pig at that" she complained really wishing to be alone.

Kankuro suddenly became serious "I'm not emo!" he told her sternly his green eyes snapping open at the description, he pulled himself up off the couch slowly and walked over to the door leaning on the door frame "Seeya..." he whispered softly closing the door behind him.

&&&

Kankuro slid down his bedroom door slowly to the floor a tear rolled down his cheek cutting a path through the thick white and purple kabuki paint covering his entire face turning them violet, he clenched his hands around the edges of his cat eared hat pulling it off making his spiky brown spring out from underneath and fall over his eyes.

"I'm not an emo I know that..." he whispered to himself with his head touching his chest "so why do the words hurt so much..." memories seeped into his mind.

_The High school senior kicked Kankuro in the stomach for a fourth time, while his friends yelled at the younger boy taunts 'Stupid fat fucking emo!' and laughed every time the blow landed and a small trickle of blood ran down the side of Kankuro's mouth 'You made a serious fucking mistake fucking bastard half-breed'._

_The jock picked up the thirteen year old by the throat 'This is for my sister you fucking emo' the older boy pulled out a bottle of lighter fluid from his football jacket 'All you fucking hell do is sing about how much fucking pain your fucking in how about I show you real fucking pain bitch'._

_His friends suddenly stopped 'Come on Ray think about what you're doing' one told him._

_'SHUT THE FUCK UP DEIDARA I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS BASTARD PAY FOR WHAT HE DID HE'S THE FUCKING REASON EMI KILLED HERSELF!' Ray yelled opening the bottle with his teeth 'THE "MUSIC" HE FUCKING GAVE HER SHE FUCKING CUT HER WRISTS DEIDARA AFTER LISTENING TO THAT CRAP!' he stared up at Kankuro's pale face with a sadistic grin plastered across his own and a crazed look in his hazel blue eyes 'Now...it's time for you to die...' he whispered in Kankuro's ear before punching him out._

_As his vision blurred into darkness he could just feel the fuel soak through his baggy clothing and the smell of burning flesh as the last traces of consciousness ebbed out away from his mind._

He'd woken up two weeks later with second degree burns to his chest, arms and face that had been the reason he'd started wearing the face paint to begin with...to hide the scars...the others he could cover with clothes and bandages but everyday when he saw them he wished he had died and had to close his eyes until they were not visible under his white and purple mask.

Gaara had come looking for him when he didn't show up to pick him up from school... he had killed two and put the other in a coma...he was only eleven when the courts locked him up in the mental institution.

Kankuro picked himself up off the floor and wiped away the tears with the sleeve of the black hoodie leaving a large smear of paint. Staggering the last few meters to his bed Kankuro flopped himself down on the soft mattress where he fell asleep there and then not even bothering to remove his clothes thinking '...What does it matter what they think music doesn't kill people...'. In the darkness the only sound came from the radio on the bedside table playing 'False Pretense' by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

&&&

Shikamaru slowly opened his eyes and pulled his head back upon finding Neji's face just inches from his own. Somehow Neji had slumped forward in his chair during the night with his head and left arm resting on the edge of the bed. Shikamaru looked over at the clock 6: 37 am...he'd been asleep for about two and half hours 'Damn sedatives' he thought rubbing his tired eyes 'Gah!...so troublesome...the only way to get out of bed is to move Neji...yeah right...he'd kick my ass' slowly Shikamaru tried to manoeuvre himself so he could get up without either waking up Neji or ripping out his IV when he noticed the other side of the bed was now empty where Hinata had been...normally he would have awoken from the movement of the bed with how light he usually slept.

"Oh FUCK" he screamed as he suddenly slipped off of the bed pulling Neji down on top of him... 'Ok...this ...is awkward...come on ...what did I ever do to be deserving of such a troublesome life' he thought.


	8. Let's Keep It Hush Hush

**Train Wreck  
**Chapter 8 Let's Keep It Hush Hush

Shikamaru looked up at Neji's closed eyes with the tips of their nose's pressing against each other 'This is wrong! What the fuck is going on...?' he thought looking to either side of him without moving his head for some way out 'How did I get into this mess?' Shikamaru tried to look anywhere but Neji's sleeping face and he could feel slow even breathes of his friend drift across his cheek and lips.

He started to panic as Neji slipped even closer towards his face, Shikamaru's eyes widening out so much his face was starting to hurt slightly. Sweat dripped from his normally calm emotionless face making him slip.

&&&

Shikamaru looked over the partially illuminated city disdainfully, his right arm supporting his head while in his left he held a half empty bottle of scotch.

"I thought I'd find you here..." the man said.

"So what have ya got...?" Shikamaru asked.

&&&

Temari knocked on the door to Kankuro's apartment; loud music could be heard through the walls.

Kankuro opened the door roughly "Yeah what d'ya want?" he said tiredly with one of his eyes closed and his face paint smudged all over the place.

"I'm sorry about what I said last night..." she said looking him up and down, he was wearing dark purple jeans with combat boots and had on a thick baggy black hoodie with a circular red and yellow symbol emblazoned on the chest.

"Are done? I have a concert at 6" Kankuro asked looking bored "ok" he closed the door before Temari had a chance to answer.

&&&

Neji slowly opened his bleary eyes and found himself on the floor.

"Eh?" he moaned getting to his feet and looked around both Shikamaru and Hinata were gone...a small pool of blood covered the carpet next to him congealed around the catheter that hung limply from the IV line.

"Shikamaru?" Neji said walking out into the corridor.

&&&

Kankuro sat alone on his couch trying to read over his lyrics for the songs they'd be doing that night, but for some reason he just couldn't concentrate.

_BANG BANG BANG_

Someone pounded on his door for the second time that day.

"Gah! It better not be Temari again!" He said getting up and walked over to his door opening it quickly.

Standing in front of him stood Gaara...Shikamaru's arm wrapped around his shoulder leaning on the short psychiatrist heavy in a drunken stupor.

Kankuro stepped back to let them in.

"What happened?" he asked while Gaara dragged the incapacitated actor over to the couch.

"Valium and alcohol...the moron" Gaara stated calmly and brushed down his black suit.

&&&

'_Hey Hinata'_ Sakura said conspiring tone _'Who do you think will get together?'_

"Um…what do you mean Sakura-san" Hinata asked.

'_You know out of the guys…come on they-re actors one of them has to be gay!'_ she laughed.

"I always suspected Shikamaru-kun though he's marrying Ino now…" Hinata said uncomfortably.

'_Come on Hinata! Shika's always been complaining how troublesome women are I doubt he's ever had a girlfriend in his life'_ Sakura argued.

Hinata thought back to last night "That is true…um…Sakura-san?" she asked shyly "Um do…do you think Neji's gay?"

'_OH MY GOD Hinata you're only now suspecting Neji? Gah! He's higher on the list than Sai!'_ Sakura commented between spurts of laughter.


	9. Exhaustion

**Train Wreck  
**Chapter 9 Exhaustion

"Kankuro...he's heavy..." Gaara said and glared at his older brother thoroughly irritated at the whole situation.

"Oh...sorry" Kankuro blurted sheepishly and took the barely conscious actor of the psychiatrist's hands.

Gaara sighed, panting for breath it had taken a lot of effort to pull his up the stairs after he'd found the elevator had broken down, and unlocked his apartment door the keys rattling in his pale trembling fingers; his right hand went up to his mouth as his small body convulsed in a coughing fit his knees buckling underneath him.

"GAARA!" Kankuro yelled in concern and rushed over only to be shoved away weakly.

"It's ok I'm fine..." he whispered wiping his mouth on his black sleeve, leaving dark stain, and slowly got back up on his shaky legs walking in his apartment.

"You know you shouldn't over do it in weather like this..." The brunette chastised him following into the dark room.

"I said I'm fine!" Gaara said a little forcefully... he wasn't in mood for Kankuro's nagging.

The inside of the psychiatrist's home was dark even with lights on, he'd painted the walls black and dark red giving it the feel of a vampires lair with all the Victorian-style furniture that was strewn around along with heavy dark curtains...people did question him about it a lot because of his pale skin and the dark circles around his eyes...they always used to tease the three siblings calling them the Punk, the Emo and the Goth...not before they got cracked in the head by Kankuro that is.

"Urgh..." Shikamaru groaned his eyes cranking open slightly only to snap them shut as Gaara feeling sadistic towards the actor shone his penlight into his glazed chocolate brown eyes "AH! Fuckin biatch..." he slurred.

"You deserved it..." Gaara said a small smirk playing on his pale lips.

"Um...Gaara you really should not do..." Kankuro tried to warn his little brother but not before a loud crack echo around the room "...that..." and cringed at the large red bruise gracing the redheads left cheek as well as a small trickle of blood trailing down from his nose "eh...Shika's got a lot better punch when he's only half conscious".

"You could have warned me...you idiot...everyone in the building already think I'm a drug dealer or something!" he un-characteristically ranted before letting out a tired sigh "Yeah this should be it" he said pulling out a full syringe and a bottle of clear liquid Kankuro couldn't identify.

"Lay him on the sofa on his side his blood pressure is ok but his breathing's shaking...delayed pupil reaction...muscle spasms...you might want to grab a bucket as well" Gaara ordered Kankuro listing off Shikamaru's physical reactions as he thought back to his university medical training and his brother ran into the bathroom to get the things.

"Neji...urgh...Nej...i..." Shikamaru mumbled in his drug induced stupor his hand slowly reaching out at something unseen.

Roughly Gaara grabbed Shikamaru's arm, once they were alone, feeling the actor's soft tanned skin trying to find a blood vessel and pushed the needle into it quickly trying to get the liquid into him as fast as possible.

"Mommy...no mom don't...please...it's not my fault...it's not my fault..." Shikamaru whimpered whipping his other arm in front of his face as if to protect himself.

"Shh...it's ok Shika I know...they always say its our fault don't they?" Gaara commented wiping the sweat off the man's face with his sleeve; he remembered the first time he'd met him...he was still at university studying psychology and Shikamaru was at the same acting school as his brother.

_'Hey bro I want you to meet someone' Kankuro yelled waving over at the pale red haired teen who's arms were laden with heavy text books._

_Shikamaru walked behind the brunette slowly staring up at the cloud dotted sky with his hands shoved firmly into the depths of his pants pockets, he'd down this many times as the hem of both had frayed and sides had torn away from legs. _

_Gaara looked his brother's new "friend" up and down and thought the boy reminded him of a pot-head with lazy attitude and glazed and tired eyes...it was clear he hadn't slept for days._

_'Hey I'm Shikamaru...' he said the boys shoulder length black hair swaying in the autumn breeze._

_Gaara scowled "...What's with the stoner?..." he asked flatly, reorganising the books so they wouldn't topple over._

_"Drugs! Who needs drugs when we've got Kankuro here!" Shikamaru cheered kissing Kankuro on the cheek and wrapped his arm around the older boy's waist "...Nah...I'll be serious...I'm just bored, the only drug I have is whisky...at the moment at least...I think" _

_The red haired teen glared at the two clowns "Stop acting...your smile's way too fake" he said shaking his head._

_"Well" Shikamaru whispered going back to how he was when he first introduced himself "Then if have to stop pretending so do you..."_

&&&

Neji laid there on the floor his pale eyes staring up at the ceiling.

'This is a disaster...' he thought 'Now it really is going to come to an end...' slowly he lifted himself up off the floor.

"...Neji nee-san ...he ran away didn't he?...Shika...maru-san...you...like...him don't you...?" Hinata asked her cousin awkwardly with her long indigo hair fell over her pale violet almost white eyes that were just like Neji's and everyone else in their family.

Neji looked up at her running one of his hands through his long brunette hair and for once in his life he didn't know how to answer her.

"Hinata-sama I need your phone..." Neji said looking at the battery metre of his cell phone.

She handed it to her cousin and asked "Who...are you...going to ...call Neji-neesan?"

"Someone I know who can help" He replied and punched in the number he knew off by heart.

&&&

Asuma Sarutobi slowly puffed on his cigarette as he watched the news 'News...'he thought 'It's all just hyped up gossip...' he sighed and snuffed his smoke in the already half full ash tray.

"Long day?" someone from behind him asked.

"Yeah..." he answered as he stretched his aching legs under his desk looking up at his secretary Kurenai.

"Neji's on line 2 for you he says it's urgent" she told him wrapping her slender arms around the man's neck and hugged him from behind.

"Doesn't he always?" Asuma said sarcastically "Is it about Shika?" he asked kissing her cherry red lips.

"Would he ring if it wasn't? You already went over the pre-production schedule with him two days ago" She replied resting her chin on his shoulder and handed him the cordless phone she'd had in her back pocket.

&&&

Kankuro hung back listening to the two.

"_Shh...it's ok Shika I know...they always say its our fault don't they?"_ Gaara said caressing the younger mans cringing face.

Kankuro narrowed his dark green eyes 'You still think about what Dad said...he always told us it was your fault Mom died and we were too young to understand and Uncle Yashamaru was killed when they tried to kidnap you but then...' he thought staring down at the tiled floor and his hand lightly touched the rippled skin of his burnt face.

"Hey does everything of yours need to be red or black?" He joked stepping back into the living room and held up a red bucket.

"Could you shut up for once in your life?" Gaara said grating his teeth in annoyance.

Kankuro just sat down on the arm of the sofa placing the bucket on the floor near Shikamaru's head.

Shikamaru shook his head and mumbled something under his breath; his body trembled partially from the drugs and partially from it exaggerating his disorder.

"Have you called Tsunade?" The brunette asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"The woman's in France she left Sakura to deal with things" his brother explained "I rang her before I got here" just as the door bell rang.

"I'll get it!" Kankuro said running to the door and threw the poor defenceless door open "Hey Sakura come in"

"Hi how is he holding up I hope Dr Gaara wasn't too rough on my favourite patient" She asked and smiled cheerfully flipping her short pink hair.

"Don't call me that bitch get in here and actually help _your _patient for once" Gaara complained rolling his eyes.

"Awww I love you too Gaa-chan" She said sticking out her tongue.

The three of them then moved into the lounge room.

Sakura examined Shikamaru closely her green eyes taking in his every detail "Yeah definitely diazepam how's his respiration and heart rate?" she questioned Gaara with her stethoscope placed on the actor's heart.

"His heart rate was normal last time I checked his respiration was laboured, I gave him 300 micrograms of flumazenil" He stated.

"Gah I only did a check up on him last night...Shika you really know how to keep a girl busy!" she exclaimed poking her vulnerable victim...I mean patient "Well his breathing is still pretty bad but he's seems to have gotten slightly better from what you described; have you given him any follow up doses yet?"

"No I only just got here my-" Gaara started to say before bringing his hand to his mouth automatically as his small body convulsed in a fit of hacking cough.

Kankuro rushed over to his younger brother to stop him from falling over and handed him his inhaler.

"You pulled Shika all the way on your own no wonder you're irritable..." She said seriously and opened her heavy medical bag pulling out a small nebuliser and some vials of Ventolin "Here" she offered "Try this" and handed the mask to Gaara who immediately covered his face with it inhaling the whitish coloured mist.

"Hey what's the time?" Kankuro suddenly asked.

"5 I think" Sakura answered "Why?"

"Shit...I'll have to ring Hayate..." He told himself counting off things on his hand "Yeah if they bring those two forward we'll have enough time good..." he sighed still holding onto Gaara.

"Huh?" Sakura asked looking at her older friend like he was crazy.

"Oh my band plays tonight that's all" he explained seeing her confused look.

&&&

Asuma walked down the steps of the studio taking two steps at a time and looked up and down the busy street, it was sunset and the glare from the sun was making it hard to see.

On the other side sat a large black van the occupants watched him closely following his movements, they had orders and it would get pretty ugly if they didn't follow through with their mission.

"Fuck its cold" Asuma gasped jumping up and down on the sidewalk trying to keep warm causing ash from his cigarette to fall on his coat "Goddamnit where is that fucking Taxi what do they except all of us to get around in limo's damn lazy bastard 5 minutes he said this is worse than a bus!" he cursed L.A's transport system.

"You ready? I wanna get my money damn it..." One of the men asked looking over his shoulder into the back of the van.

'Yeah yeah old man stop fucking distracting me fuck head you'll your fucking money damn it!" the silver haired man yelled back at him.

"Damn where is it" Asuma sighed as he tried to stay calm "If I don't get there soon girly boy'll probably go after him himself..." suddenly he felt a sharp pain punch through his chest "AHHHHH!" he screamed stumbling down to the snow covered foot path...


	10. Sounds of Revenge

**Train Wreck**

Chapter 10 Sounds of Revenge

Warm blood streamed out of his back and soaked into his jacket pooling in a purplish black pool underneath him turning the off white snow crimson 'No...' he thought trying to call out but only a gurgling sound came out blood clogging his throat.

Asuma rolled over onto his left side coughing from the effort, his body had gone numb below his waist, he coughed hacking up a mixture of blood and phlegm onto the sidewalk, trails of blood running down from the corners of his mouth before disappearing into his dark beard.

'No not like… this...I always thought I'd be old and cranky like dad probably die of lung cancer like Kakashi's always telling me' he thought images of Kurenai flashed in his mind.

The cold was slowing down the blood loss but he knew he'd probably be dead within the next ten minutes anyway he could hardly breathe drowning in his own blood.

Slowly his vision began to darken but the last thing he heard before he closed his eyes was someone screaming what it was he couldn't tell what it was that they were saying and someone's warm hand touched his face yelling at him in a pleading tone but he was already dead...

&&&

Suddenly Shikamaru's eyes shot open as if having been awakened from a nightmare...his head pounded and his brain was still wrapped in a veil of grogginess that he couldn't shake.

"Urgh!" he groaned loudly...he would have let out a string of curses but he was just too tired to speak.

Sakura immediately started to check him over "Finally you're awake Shika...everyone was worrying about you!" she chastised him giving him her scariest face ever but he just shot back a lazy glare at her making her sigh "Awww Shika that normally works on Naruto! I just I'm not as scar as Ino though" Sakura smirked checking his blood pressure with the large cuff she'd wrapped around his upper arm.

"Hey how ya doing?" Kankuro asked his green eyes meeting Shikamaru's.

"Kanky-chan he's going to be groggy for at least another day or two still" Sakura informed him staring at him like he was an idiot.

"Gah...no respect I tell you...kids these days!" the brunette complained rolling his eyes "I'll see you in a bit..." he said walking towards the door and back to his own apartment...he'd left the door open and he didn't want it to be looted of what little valuable things it had.

Gaara stood leaning against the bookshelf quietly, sure understanding emotions was his job but that didn't mean he had to be able to partake in it. He was happy that his patient/friend/source of income was awake finally but he had his own things to deal with.

"Sakura" he said softly

'Yeah?" she queried brushing back her pink hair out of her eyes.

"Can you watch over Shikamaru? I've got something to do..." he answered walking over to the door.

"Ok don't be too long though..."she warned him "I can't stick around all day even if it is Shika I do have other patients"

The red head didn't look back at the doctor and just replied "Yeah" and walked outside closing the door behind him.

&&&

Neji was becoming very annoyed but he wouldn't dare give anyone the pleasure of seeing him become emotional "Kiba get that smirk off your face now before I surgically remove it!" he threatened the actor.

"Hey don't take your frustrations out on me!" Kiba replied to Neji and pointed to himself before he pointed back the agent "just because you can't find your lover!" his smirk became larger.

"DIE!!!!" Neji screamed his eye twitching and lunged for the young man only to have Hinata hold him back.

"Neji-neesan...pl...ea...se calm down...remember...why we're here" She reminded her cousin.

"I'll get you later Kiba!" Neji threatened and shook his fist at Kiba "Ok" sighed "I'm done..." and he calmed down "I rang Asuma 15 minutes ago he should have been here by now so there's no point waiting any longer for him to rock up the first to look would be the studio Kiba that's where you'll look...Hinata-sama can you ring Naruto and Shino please?" he asked her, completely ignoring the fact that her pale face had become as red as a tomato.

"Then where are you going then girly boy?" Kiba asked shoving his hands in the pockets of his white jacket.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Neji screamed, his fists clenched at his side wanting so much to punch him right now...normally he could tolerate Kiba but right now he just couldn't deal with his annoying comments...he wondered sometimes if Kiba and Naruto were twins separated at birth... "You expect me to tell you now!" he said through grated teeth.

"Neji-neesan..." Hinata said softly touching her cousins' shoulder.

"Forget it! I don't care! No I'm not telling him anything now! I've had it with Inuzuka and his snide comments he may be Shikamaru's friend and your client but he's a fucking jerk!" Neji screamed.

"God! Say what you really feel Neji why do -" Kiba chipped in only to land flat on his back in the gravel holding his face.

Neji had had enough and ran out down the drive way and leapt in his car speeding out of the Hyuuga Estate.

Hinata hands went up to her mouth out of habit "Ar...e you okay?...w..e sh..ould...go...after him" she asked worriedly torn between her concern for Neji and her client.

"Leave him Hinata" Kiba said becoming serious "It was nothing personal he just needed an outlet for his frustrations...heh...he must really love Shika to getting this riled up huh Akamaru!" he laughed pulling out his pocket mirror to check for bruising on his painted face and patted the small white dog that was sitting worriedly beside his master on the head "This was going to happen sooner or later".

&&&

Kankuro dipped his face in the pool of cool clear water, his spiky brunette hair pulled back away from his face with a purple headband, and rubbed the thick paint off with scrubbing brushes vigorously...with Linkin Park playing loudly in the background on his stereo.

"I've given up... I'm sick of livinggggg...Is there nothing you can say?...Take this all away I'm suffocating! Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me!" he sang along whilst drying his face off with a black handtowel. Kankuro looked up at himself in the mirror taking in the image...even though he was pale his skin wasn't a white pale like his brothers no out of the three siblings he was the only one who looked middle eastern like their father was...their mother Karura had been half American half Japanese Gaara and Temari looked more like her especially Temari.

Slowly he applied his kabuki paint again trying not to look at his scars knock...knock...knock someone wrapped on the bathroom door softly.

He examined himself in the mirror again...he'd only put the white base coat on but his whole face was still covered.

"Come in!" He called out and the door opened.

"...Temari told me what happened last night..." Gaara announced his blank aqua eyes stared up at his older brother as he stood leaning in the door way.

"I guessed as much..." Kankuro said removing his headband and ran gel through his hair "She can be so annoying sometimes" he smirked and peeled off the rubber gloves he had been wearing and threw them in the bin.

"She's sorry you know..." the redhead reminded him hugging him from behind.

"Yeah...it's ok now..." his brother whispered covering Gaara's hand with his own and sighed.

"Good...did you call Hayate?" Gaara asked his head resting on Kankuro's shoulder.

"Yeah he got them to move us up an hour...god...Shika was meant to come as well, this is bad, I wonder why Neji isn't leavening threatening messages asking where he is" Kankuro joked looking behind him to see Gaara's swollen face "You should get that checked or they'll really think you do drugs especially if they start going through your trash and see all the needles you use!"

Gaara chose to ignore that...and answered "Shikamaru will have to go then otherwise it will cause a stir" he sighed nearly falling asleep standing.

"Gaara… if you dare go to sleep I'm leaving you to Sakura's mercy..." the brunette threatened trying to get out of the room while dragging the psychiatrist behind him "Why can't you be a normal scientist...evil and blowing shit up!"

&&&

Kiba slowly drove up to the studio; the sun had just gone down so not many people would be in the area until 9 with it being so cold…though just because there was hardly anyone on the road didn't mean that there would be any parks…

"Fucking hell finally" Kiba swore after driving in a circle for the past 20 minutes.

He opened the car door onto the sidewalk and his sensitive nose was suddenly hit by the acrid smell, Akamaru barked his head and front paws peaking out from the top of Kiba's jacket.

"Yeah I know boy…I smell it too…blood" He whispered patting the puppy on his head.

He walked down the street his boots digging into the snow making the harsh noise of crunching ice crystal with every step he took irritating his acute hearing…he really hated winter.

"Miss there's nothing we can do…we're sorry but…" the man suddenly got cut off by the distraught woman.

"He's not dead! Please do something!" Kurenai sobbed falling to her knees and clutched her pregnant belly.

&&&

Kankuro sat leaning against one the oversized amplifiers back stage, he'd been staring up at the ceiling thinking and had long since given up on going over his lyrics.

"Hey don't think too hard you might kill the few brain cells you have left…" Hayate said laughing at his own joke before he ended up going into a coughing fit like always.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Kankuro asked ignoring the sickly looking guys' lame attempt at a joke.

"Depends…cough…on what you mean by ready…" he replied picking up his guitar "Izumo's always ready and Kotetsu is sleeping with his drums again" Hayate strummed the strings of his guitar a couple of times.

"HEY" a stage guy yelled out reading off a clipboard "MKULTRA YOU'RE ON IN 2!"

"Shit!" Kankuro spat pushing himself upright and ran back to their 'dressing room', actually it was really a janitor's closet that the bands got ready, in all that was really in it was a sink, a mirror, a couple of chairs and card table. He hammered on the flimsy door and yelled "Come on losers we're on!" suddenly the snapped open to reveal two dark haired guys in their late twenties one carrying a bass guitar, the other drum sticks "Gah..." he sighed "don't just stand there idiots hurry up" he said frustrated at their silence.

"Ok ok...sheesh Kan..." Kotetsu complained closing the door behind them "You're almost as bad as Sarutobi" and followed his friends now the corridor to the stage.

"HEY" Kankuro yelled into the mic becoming someone else when he was on stage "We're MKULTRA are you guys ready for some hardcore! This is called Bleed No More" the crowd of about a thousand screamed back eagerly as Izumo and Kotetsu started playing nearly drowning out Kankuro's voice.

_'I don't think you trust me anymore..._

_the sounds of your screaming..._

_pounding on my door... _

I can't stop myself and it's all going black... 

_I can't pretend anymore..._

_that's it's all right..._

_You're screaming your voice out..._

_and you know can't make me bleed no more!...'_

&&&

Meanwhile backstage Neji had finally found Shikamaru and Gaara had informed him about what had happened earlier that day needless to say Neji was so infuriated he just sat glaring at his client, silently brooding.

"Could you get over yourself you're acting like your 9 and I killed your kitten..." Shikamaru mumbled rubbing his forehead tiredly, his black hair falling over his shoulders.

"YOU IDIOT!" Neji exploded "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING IF YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF" he grabbed onto the front of Shikamaru's black shirt, it was very baggy and hanging off his slightly shoulder as he'd borrowed the clothes from Kankuro.

"Yeah yeah why do you care anyway?" Shikamaru said rolling his eyes.

"..." Neji just stood there in stunned silence.

"Come on! Tell me why! hehehe" he laughed sounding slightly insane.

"I..."Neji couldn't think of what to say...it hadn't been since he'd met Gai that he'd been this stuck for words...he didn't know what to do and just stared at the floor 'What's wrong with me I'm acting like Hinata-sama when she's around Naruto!' he thought angrily, clenching his fists 'Fate is just never on my side is it? What would you do Ka-san?' he didn't know what he was doing it was like he was possessed...like an out of body experience...suddenly he was leant over Shikamaru their mouths locked together in a passionate kiss, Neji's hand behind the terrified man's head while Shikamaru stood frozen to the spot his eyes wide with fear.

&&&

Gaara glared at the door and willed it to open with what little psychic powers he possessed...he really had to stop watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya...

Buzzzz...buzzz the intercom crackled 'Hey Gaara come on in!' a boisterous voice called through it as the heavy magnetic door opened up.

"Yeah...he's still paranoid..." Gaara said to himself walking inside.

"Hi Gaara what's up? I thought you'd be looking after Shika!" Naruto asked and scratched the back of his blonde head.

'Why do you say that Naruto? He's with Kankuro and Neji now..." the redhead replied his aqua eyes scanning Naruto's nervous face.

"Oh..."He waved it off "It's nothing damn Kiba rang earlier saying he'd done a disappearing act again" Naruto's blue eyes kept darting back in the direction of his room.

"Naruto if you really want me to believe you... why don't you stop acting like I'm a jealous boyfriend that's just caught you screwing the neighbour" Gaara explained and sighed rubbing his temples...'Why I am I here again?' he asked himself 'Oh that...yeah'

&&&

Kankuro hadn't seen either Shikamaru or Neji since the concert and Gaara had run off somewhere so here he was stuck taking public transport.

'I wonder what was so urgent?' he thought trying to keep himself upright as the bus turned around the bend with one hand holding on tightly to the thin leather handle hanging from the roof and the other stopping his guitar case from falling over.

_Pist_...the bus came to a stop with a hiss and Kankuro stepped off, pulling the strap of his guitar case over his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets tiredly...he'd had a very long emotionally exhausting day.

Suddenly a person bumped into him knocking him down "Hey watch where you're going moron!" some yelled kicking him sharply in the stomach making Kankuro cry out in pain as he felt one of his rips crack.

"Hey wait a minute...you're that guy yeah..."The blonde whispered his hand touching his left eye that was covered over by his long fringe "Bastard...yeah...his damn red haired freak brother did this!"

"Uh...boss calm down" his partner told him through his orange mask.

"Shut up Tobi! yeah!" he yelled continuing to kick Kankuro, who had blood running down the sides of his mouth trying to protect himself by rolling up in a ball. This only made Deidara pick him up by his hoodie and punched him squarely in the face wiping off a good deal of paint "Urgh what the fuck is this...I'm gonna make this freak pay for what happened to us yeah!"...


	11. Sinking Too Quickly

**So finally some new material getting pumped out after getting through writing block and my fragile ego being blown into a million pieces.**

**After so many months on hiatus I present to you chapter eleven dripping with angst and oozing melodrama like only a group of actors can!**

**Neji:** Remember kids yelling Naruto catchphrases in public isn't exceptable in any circumstance and no matter how many times you try you can't have sex with plushiesthank you this has been a public service announcement

**Naruto:** and Nari doesn't own Naruto or me for that matter Believe it! (Neji cracks him in the knee caps) AHHHHH!!!

**Train Wreck  
**Chapter 11 Sinking Too Quickly

Neji collapsed onto the ground and clutched his stomach in agony gasping for breath from Shikamaru's punch.

"Bastard..."Shikamaru growled "What were you thinking...you really are a moron..." he whispered his head down and his eyes invisible under his black bangs "You really are gay..." he said his voice steadily becoming louder and more hysterical with every word.

"Shikamaru..." Neji gasped trying to explain himself slowly picking himself up off the ground though wincing still in a lot of pain.

"SHUT UP!" He screamed his whole body trembling; slowly he turned away only for Neji to grab his arm "I hate you...I hate you so much...you're disgusting you know that... get away from me..."

Neji tried to stay calm "Is this all you ever...all you ever do is run away what is wrong with you Shikamaru!" he asked keeping his grip on the actor.

"YOU WANT TO KNOW SO BADLY? I WAS RAPED YOU BASTARD!" Shikamaru screamed pushing him away "Why don't you go back home and get your stuff I want you out by tomorrow you're fired!" he said glaring at him.

Slowly Neji's grip slackened and his arm dropped to his side '...What...have I done...?' Neji thought watching, Shikamaru disappear from sight.

&&&

Gaara stared at Naruto and then over where he was looking and walked over to the room "Don't go in there!" Naruto yelled jumping in front of the psychiatrist making Gaara even more suspicious.

Gaara's sleep deprived eyes narrowed and he lightly pushed Naruto out of his way opening the heavy door slowly.

Sasuke laid there curled up protectively under sheets of Naruto's queen size bed and Gaara's heart suddenly sank.

"IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!" The blonde yelled out jumping up and down.

"What am I meant to be supposedly thinking?" Gaara stated his brow rising.

&&&

Shikamaru had always liked trains...well he like all forms of mass transit...it always gave him that sense of normality that his life had always lacked.

He remembered once when the gang had lived on a subway car for a couple of weeks when the cops had kicked them out of their usual hang out in a pre-election crack down. Naruto had complained about not being anywhere near a half decent ramen place the whole time and Kiba would always whack him over the head telling Naruto to shut the hell up.

It was a hard life but you could always do things at you own pace and it was never dull just the way Shikamaru liked it, he was the leader after all.

Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji...they were inseparable. He'd met them after living on the streets for about a month...a homeless twelve year old from the country doesn't make it very far in LA without some help.

They were best friends until they were fifteen.

That was when Asuma and Kurenai adopted them. Asuma had just started working at his father's studio as a producer after his acting career had ended. Shikamaru and his friends had been squatting in a small run down apartment building scheduled for demolition near where Asuma would go out the side of the studio to smoke. Shikamaru and Kiba had tried to use an old parlour trick using playing on him but he saw straight through the crafty duo though impressed at their raw talent for acting and performance.

"You thought you were rescuing us…we were doomed no matter where we ended up" Shikamaru mumbled clutching his head; he'd barely slept in three days.

&&&

Neji quickly dodged the kick aimed at his stomach and flipped backwards landing on his finger tips only for his opponent to knock him onto the hard tatami matting covering the floor of the Dojo.

"You're distracted my friend" Lee said wiping the sweat from his forehead "What's wrong?" he asked offering his hand to help Neji up.

"I moved back to the Hyuuga Estate…" Neji replied "I was fired" and slowly unwrapped the bandages and athletic tape from around his hands, grimacing as the adhesive peeled away from his bruised knuckles.

"Ah...Tenten mentioned that you had moved back but why would Shikamaru fire you? You were doing such good work everything had just been finalized for the next movie" Lee exclaimed pointing at Neji and waving his arms around trying to get his point across.

"I know, he hasn't been thinking right since the premier a couple of days ago" Neji said sighing "I did something I shouldn't have and it blew up in my face now I don't think he'll ever talk to me again even if I was able to find him not even Gaara has had any luck" he sat down on the floor, taking a break from their fight.

"Don't worry Neji it will all turn out alright in the end" Lee cried giving Neji the 'nice guy pose' "Believe it!"

"Lee..."

"Yes Neji" Lee asked a litte worried.

"Stop hanging around Naruto, it's having a terrible influence" The brunette said calming and closed his eyes " and if you ever say that again I'll have to bust your knee caps"

&&&

It had been 16 hours since he ran out on Neji and now Shikamaru stared down at the floor of the bus his black hair flopping in his glazed eyes. No one noticed him at the back corner of the bus with his head leaning against the window, wheezing.

"Neji…you idiot" he whispered in his semi conscious state "No…mom…please it's not my fault…not my fault" Shikamaru started to rub his arms feverously his nails running up and down his pale skin.

Suddenly the bus pulled up with a jolt knocking him from the seat to the floor "Hey fuck wit watch what you're doing!" a guy yelled kicking Shikamaru off him.

"NO AHHHHHH!!!" Shikamaru screamed his arms coming up in front of his face to protect himself.

"What the fuck? Damn crack head get out of here!" the man shot back pulling him to his feet and shoving Shikamaru through the back doors of the bus, his head hit the pavement sharply leaving a gash across his forehead.

"Gaara…what were you thinking?" he mumbled lying on the sidewalk.

_Shikamaru looked down at the three files the young psychiatrist had prepared for him "Can't I do anything without you sticking you nose in it? Damn you're annoying sometimes Gaara" he moaned looking down at the pictures of the candidates to be his agent._

"_If I left you to your own devices you'd end up with Kankuro as your agent…" Gaara explained rolling his eyes._

"_Hey that's a pretty good idea you know" he said sarcastically "Urgh which one's the least troublesome? Asama Sandayuu…Amayo Tsukino…Gaara why is there a woman in here you the only girl I can stand is Temari" he grizzled._

"_That's only because you won't give them a chance, but if you're that inept how about this guy Neji Hyuuga?" Gaara pointed out pulling the folder out from under the others. _

"_Yeah ok whatever I'll go with that…" Shikamaru sighed lighting a cigarette up._

"_You know the only reason I let you do that is because of your drinking" his friend advised shaking his crimson hair out of his eyes._

"_And you say I've got emo hair!" Shikamaru laughed and took a drag._

"_And if you don't watch yourself you'll end up with heart disease before you're 30" he said sternly crossing his arms._

_Shikamaru stared blankly back at Gaara._

_  
"What is there left for me to live for Gaara?" he said his dead and lifeless._

_  
"Us…your friends…Neji…we need you" Gaara answered._

"_No one needs me…they only use me" Shikamaru said shaking his head and peered over the buildings edge again "What qualities do I possess that are at all useful?"_

He sat up slowly picking himself up off the ground rubbing his ribs and swigged another mouthful from the bottle in his coat pocket.

Shikamaru didn't know why he'd told him…the only people he'd ever told was Kankuro and Gaara it was always better that way, keep everything as simple as possible…high school …get a reasonable job and make enough money to live off…retire and then die leaving everything to Chouji, that's how he'd always planned it.

And then suddenly…

'_YOU WANT TO KNOW SO BADLY? I WAS RAPED YOU BASTARD!'_

He'd said it…and for some reason saying it out loud made it feel real…it was out in the open he'd finally admitted it had actually happened and all the pain he'd managed to bottle up over the years was bubbling to the surface.

'Was this what it was like for you Brother?' he thought an image of Yoshiku came into his mind 'You were always so angry and distant with everyone except me' the half empty bottle touched his lips…he knew it was stupid to think their father had started with him.


	12. Life x Death

**Anyway I'm finally back in the groove…everyone try to guess who each of Shika's flashbacks are lol…some are easy some not so…a little bit of time has passed between this chapter and the last not that much though it starts of with Gaara and eventually this chapter follows one whole day in the lives of the characters from where they left off. Eventually in up coming chapters we'll get some juicy angst and a nice side plot for you all.**

**Heh I feel like I'm turning this into NGE lol...urgh Shika is _not_ Shinji he would be more like Kaji if anything .  
**

**Anyway the reason I have Hinata call Neji 'nee-san' instead of the normal 'nii-san' is because it's funny and will be explained later with Neji's backstory okays**

**Kiba gets to see some action in this one folks yep real men show they care through physical violence lol. RAR!! Kiba be scary when emotional urgh… X.x  
**

**Kiba:** damn straight! Though isn't slapping unconscious people a little stupid…

**Hehehee…(evil maniacal laughter) well it was either you or Naruto and he's wrapped up with Gaara …in more ways than one lol.**

**Gaara:** Idiot…this is the reason you will never own the Naruto series …you hear that fangirls I belong to no one Mhuahahahahaha cough hack cough um…yeah (slinks away quietly into the shadows) ooooooh a penny!

**Train Wreck  
Chapter 12 Life x Death**

Gaara sat down at the bus stop... his palms kneading into his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

'Idiot...idiot...why didn't you wait...' he berated himself replaying the scene in his mind '...I'm such a hypocrite...god...this is exactly what I keep telling Shika to stop doing' he struggled to control his breathing digging his nails painfully into his scalp.

'Come on Gaara analyse the situation...nothing was out of place, Naruto was completely (and horribly) dressed so logically speaking nothing happened...think don't just assume the worst...' Gaara thought and sighed tiredly he hadn't had enough dreamless sedative induced sleep today for this amount of confusing emotions.

It was stupid he knew this but it was times like these that the angry segregated little boy he'd once been won out over aloof and calculating doctor he fought to become.

Slowly he pulled his pale hands away from his purple mottled panda-like eyelids exposing his tear stained aquamarine eyes to the cold winter air.

Gaara thought hard remembering back to events that had happened barely fifteen minutes earlier, suddenly a view of Naruto's room flew into his vision.

_Sasuke lay on the far side of the bed asleep, his obsidian eyes clamp shut possibly in pain...a red smeared bandage wrapped hastily around his forehead his skin so pale the white material almost blended in perfectly...the quilt was pulled up to Sasuke chest but the edge of a dark bruise creeped out from underneath._

"You are a fucking moron" the redhead growled slapping himself hard in the face and pushed up from the bench. Running back the way he'd come Gaara really hoped that Naruto would still want to know him after all this was over.

**&**

It had just gone night time a few minutes ago and Shikamaru sat hunched over, slumped down on the floor of the old run down apartment and rested his forehead against his trembling knees; his heart was pumping so hard he could feel it in the ends of his throbbing fingers. He gasped loudly trying to catch his breath like he was drowning but he just couldn't get enough air into his heaving lungs. He felt disgusting with every moment he inhaled sharply through his mouth all he could taste was the pungent stench of dried sweat and day old blood that were hovering around him.

His shirt was falling off his shoulder exposing the bruised skin underneath, his legs were weak and tired from walking making trip and fall over catching the leg of his baggy pants on the brittle metal of the fire escape leaving a five inch long gash down the outside of his left calf. He'd ended up having to rip his undershirt into makeshift bandages to stem the bleeding.

'Maybe...' he thought running his fingers through his long black hair 'it would be alright to die right here...so tired...' the edges of his vision starting to blur 'it wouldn't be so bad...would it Brother' he shivered his body trying to keep what little warmth it had left from seeping out 'It 

wouldn't be a bad way...to go...' slowly as Shikamaru closed his eyes memories, clips from his past flashed through his mind.

_You idiot... _

_Don't just think they only like you as long as you're useful..._

_I'm not going away...you were always there for me... _

_Us…your friends…Neji…we need you _

_What do you think would happen to me if you went moron..._

_You're worse than Naruto sometimes..._

_You really are a coward...you know that...all you're good at is running away_

_Did this all mean so little to you..._

_Stop looking back... nothing good can come of this obsession with the past my friend..._

_We're friends right...you helped me...why can't I help you_

_Don't think you can't change...everyone can change if they put in the effort!! _

_Sometimes you just need to sit back and look at the big picture Shika..._

_I might not love you but I still care about you..._

_No matter what never forget...never forget even if no one else does I will always love you...okay_

"Hey...hey...Shika!" someone yelled "Come on man wake up dude!" Shikamaru felt them gently touch his face almost caressing it, his body cradled protectively and slowly his mind was being pulled from the fuzzy warm darkness that had cocooned it only to fall right back.

_**SLAP!!**_

Suddenly the throbbing pain of a hard slap to the face jolted Shikamaru back to semi-consciousness.

"COME ON Shika wake up you idiot if you die right now I'll revive you myself and then kill you again in a much more painful  
way you fucking bastard!" the guy yelled shaking him.

"uRGH..." Shikamaru groaned cracking one eye open to look up at Kiba's angry face.

"What were you thinking you fucking moron!!" Kiba shouted snarling at his friend with his sharp teeth bred and his coal black eyes shrunk into narrow cat like slits.

**&**

Tenten was fuming how could Neji still like Shikamaru Nara she couldn't grasp how her idol could be infatuated by such lazy...sarcastic...drug addicted...emotionally unstable...whiny bastard urgh! She ran her fingers through her brunette fringe angrily trying to keep her cool and not just run out and find Neji to shake him senseless.

"Sister you seem troubled what is on your mind?" her older brother Lee asked sitting down next to her on her bed.

"It's just Mr.Neji it's so infuriating how he's still pining for Mr.Nara how can he still be so loyal to him even after he kicked him to the curb" she explained sighing and flopping back onto the soft mattress.

"Tenten please stop this obsession with Neji at once it is not healthy you work for the Hyuuga's now you must put those feelings away" Lee said calmly

"But Brother I just want Mr.Neji to happy that's all he's been moping around the mansion a whole day and refuses to take any other clients on" Tenten exclaimed sitting back.

"If he chooses to do that then it is his choice you can't force someone to get it that quickly" Lee sighed "please Shikamaru is a valued friend of both myself and Neji I can't let say such things about him when you know nothing of the circumstances Sister"

"Why does everyone want to protect him?" she fumed clenching her fists wishing with all her might she could stab Shikamaru in the neck with her kunai "He's just some drunk drugged up lazy ass bastard actor!"

_**SLAP!!**_

Tenten held her right cheek, the stinging pain seeping into her jaw.

"Never...ever...says things like that about my friends!" Lee shouted down at her grabbing his younger sister by the shoulders firmly "You know nothing about Shikamaru...and you know nothing about Neji...I don't care if you are my sister if I hear words like that again you will not be conscious enough to regret them" he growled coldly his obsidian eyes blazing storming quickly out of her bedroom and slammed the door.

**&**

Temari sat in the hard uncomfortable plastic chair of the emergency ward waiting room the doctors had called her saying something had happened to her younger brother but other than that nothing else had been said to her for an hour, she'd even dumped all her bookings for the next two days on her part-time assistant Karen without so much as a thank you.

'I'm no better than Father was...I said such terrible things to him and I didn't even apologize in person I sent Gaara as my messenger, I'm meant to be the oldest, the mature one out of the three of us' she thought tears threatening to cascade from her jade coloured eyes, she ran her long fingers through her buttercup blonde hair brushing the smooth shoulder length strands away from neck, she'd forgotten to put it up like she normally did in her rush to get to Kankuro but now it was annoying her to no end.

"Miss Sabaku?" a doctor said finally came out to speak to her "I'm Doctor Ebisu"

"How is he?" Temari bluntly cut to the point, she glared at the idiot who dared wear such outdated sunglasses in front of her.

"Kankuro's condition at the moment is critical but stable your brother took a severe beating, he has 2 broken ribs and his left leg is fractured in two places along the tibia...he suffered some internal bleeding and we had to remove his spleen but more concerning is two sub-dural hematoma's on the right hemisphere of his brain...currently he is in a state of unconsciousness bordering on a coma" he informed her.

"Is that all? Can I see him now?" she asked taking in the list of injuries her younger brother at sustained while pointedly trying to ignore the so called 'Doctor's' leering stare down her tank purple tank top as she stood up out of the uncomfortable chair.

"Sure" he said a little too happily and she was sure he was perving at her ass.

"Good because even if you are Kankuro's doctor if you look at me like that one more time I'll smack you so hard you'll be shitting your teeth for a month" Temari warned him giving him a death glare that could rival Gaara's and went off to find Kankuro's room.

**&**

Naruto stared at the floor dejectedly, it had been an hour since Gaara had run out angrily but not before punching him in the ribs, it stung but he didn't really care.

'Why did I care if he saw Sasuke in my bed...were just friends...I mean I like him sure but not like that! God I'm so fucked up' he thought, angrily rubbing his hands over his tanned face 'I have absolutely no idea what to fucking do now!' he jumped up off the bed ignoring his aching chest and begun pacing, thankful that at least Sasuke was still asleep after all that.

"You're an fucking idiot you know Naruto..." a strained voice came from the black haired boy.

"You always say that though... anyway you're meant to be resting you stubborn bastard lay back down before you fucking hurt yourself even more you dick" Naruto replied trying to stop Sasuke from sitting up.

"Don't tell me what to do bitch you're way to freaking loud so just shut the fuck up and don't you even think of calling Sakura!" Sasuke growled wincing at the pain in his head.

"Like I want her here at the moment anymore than you do" the blonde sighed thinking back a moment "Wait...what...eh...why'd you call me an idiot in the first place?"

"Cos' Gaara obviously likes you idiot are you really that blind!" he said through gritted teeth "Anyway I'm sorry...you're not an idiot" Sasuke sighed his raven hair falling in front of his charcoal coloured eyes.

"Oh My God!" Naruto gasped almost fainting in shock.

"You're a idiot times 1000 you are the stupid brain dead person I have ever met in my whole fucking life well except for maybe Lee..." he finished.

"Eh...heh..." Naruto collapsed to the ground his left eye twitching slightly.

**TBC...**


	13. Emergency Breaks

**disclaimer:** do not own Naruto or anything else for that matter!

**Train Wreck  
Chapter 13 Emergency Breaks**

Shikamaru stared up at his familiar white ceiling, it had been three whole days since he'd been in his own comfortable bed, he could fall asleep anywhere in any position but when it came down to it he preferred his own bed not too hard like Neji's and not too soft like Ino's. He felt another person's presence near him and the aroma of hot soup hit his nostrils.

"Finally you're awake Shika" Chouji said a small smile across his chubby face "You've been asleep for 2 days".

"Yeah...?" Shikamaru sighed still looking upwards.

"Sakura's not happy though" the chef explained helping his friend sit up in bed "She had to patch you up again after Kiba found you".

"Probably...I don't know what the fuck's wrong with me at the moment" he said running his left hand through his tangled black hair.

"Shika you know you can tell me anything right?" Chouji asked helping Shikamaru eat.

Shikamaru rested his spoon down on the tray and looked him the eye "I know...I told him...I just don't want to have to care anymore it's too troublesome" he said rubbing his temple.

"You always say that and in the end you always end up caring anyway Shika" he replied pressing a cold compress against his friends forehead "how are you going to get out of this one huh? Doctor Sabaku can't help you this time from what I've heard he's got his own problems"

Shikamaru's head shot up "What!" he exclaimed.

"Oh yes Miss Temari called earlier she's been trying to get in contact with him all afternoon, she said Kankuro was in the hospital" the light brown haired man remembered suddenly.

"Got to be kidding me..." he sighed "The last couple of days have been so fucked up" Shikamaru rubbed his face tiredly, he rested the bowl down on the ground and laid back down then rubbed his eyes with the back of his palm. Slowly he tried to stand using the wall for support to hold up his still shaky legs.

"Shika you really need to rest, come on you were dehydrated and had a fever when Kiba found you! You were really lucky Sakura was available otherwise we would have probably had to take you to the hospital okay" Chouji argued trying to push him back down.

"Yeah yeah shut up already you nag worse than..." the actor trailed off and sighed "I'll rest ok just get me the pile of scripts that's on my desk...it's fucking boring laying down when I can't see the clouds".

**&&&**

The young black haired man sat stiffly on the stool, a pallet covered in different shades of blue and grey accompanied with blobs of black and white in one of his slender hands and a metallic cell phone in the other. The phone was clamped between his ear and shoulder and he reached for a note pad near by to jot down something the person on the other end of the call was informing him of.

"Thank you Mister Abarame" he said in a fake cheerful voice "You've been very helpful, this information will be quite invaluable to my client...goodbye" he hung up sliding the cover of his phone closed and stared at the half finished image splashed across the canvas in front of him "Well this will have to wait for another day it seems" he thought out loud resting the pallet down on the bench next to him and covered the painting the rough white tarp that had been lying on the floor in a heap "Should I inform him...hmn..." he asked himself "I'll wait a couple more days, I need more facts" as he grabbed the keys to his sleek black sports car.

**TBC**


End file.
